N° 3–2024: Muninn: First space mission for ESA’s Marcus Wandt begins

The four astronauts are part of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) and will live and work in orbit for up to two weeks. Marcus’s mission is called Muninn.

The crew spent around 36 hours catching up with the Space Station after their launch on 18 January at 21:49 GMT (22:49 CET, 16:49 local time). Marcus became the fifth ESA astronaut to leave Earth on a Dragon spacecraft and served as a mission specialist during the journey.

Marcus is the first of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space, and the second Swedish citizen to fly in space.

“I am immensely grateful and impressed by everyone who worked together to make this mission possible. I want to thank ESA for being bold and forward-thinking, and for paving the way to strengthen Europe’s presence in space with the support of Sweden and Axiom Space,” said Marcus on launch day.

As a project astronaut, Marcus’s job at ESA is linked to this specific flight opportunity on a fixed-term contract.

Two Scandinavians in orbit

Marcus’s first mission to space takes its name from Norse mythology and the two raven accomplices of the god Odin – Muninn and Huginn. According to the myth, the ravens serve as messengers and advisors to their god, sharing all they see and hear. Huginn is the mission name of Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen.

Marcus was welcomed aboard by Andreas,  who is currently commander of the Space Station. This is the first time two Scandinavians are together in space, ready to gather new knowledge in orbit, deliver benefits to people on Earth and prepare  for future space exploration.

Action-packed mission

Marcus will devote much of his time in space to scientific activities and technology demonstrations that could shape the way we live and work on Earth. In total, he will run around 20 experiments and take part in five educational programmes on the Space Station.

The Muninn programme is packed with European research and new experiments led by the Swedish Space Agency, ranging from studies into how the design of space habitats affects an astronaut’s stress levels to unravelling the changes in cellular structures and gene expression in microgravity.

Follow the Muninn mission

Follow Marcus’s journey on the Muninn website, check our launch kit in English or Swedish and connect with Marcus on his Instagram and X accounts.

Latest updates on the Muninn mission can be found on X via @esaspaceflight and on ESA social media channels. You can also shop the official Muninn collection online at the ESA Space Shop and tune into the official Muninn mission playlist.

Further information 

Follow ESA on www.esa.int  

Images

https://www.esa.int/esearch?q=Marcus+Wandt+images

Muninn mission patch and name:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2023/06/Muninn_mission_patch_and_name

Muninn photo album for professionals:
https://photolibrary.esa.int/collection/?sid=lbmaq1zyh

ESA's Photo Library for Professionals:
https://www.esa-photolibrary.com/

Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
www.esa.int/spaceinimages/ESA_Multimedia/Copyright_Notice_Images

For questions or more information related to ESA images, please contact directly spaceinimages@esa.int.

Videos

https://www.esa.int/esearch?q=Marcus+Wandt+videos

B-rolls for media, in English and Swedish:
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2023/09/Marcus_Wandt_Muninn_mission_training

ESA's Video Library for Professionals:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos

Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
https://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please contact directly spaceinvideos@esa.int.

Social Media

Follow ESA on:

X: @esa @esaspaceflight @astro_marcus
Facebook: @EuropeanSpaceAgency 
Instagram: @europeanspaceagency esaastro_marcus
YouTube: ESA 
LinkedIn: European Space Agency - ESA 
Pinterest: European Space Agency - ESA 

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia are Associate Members.

ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.

Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int

For further information:

ESA Newsroom and Media Relations Office

Email: media@esa.int